How to watch the 2018 World Cup: TV schedule, groups, odds and what you need to know

When does the tournament start?

Thursday, when host nation Russia faces Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, which is also the venue for the July 15 final. The opening game pits the lowest-ranked teams in the tournament with Russia at No. 70 in the FIFA world rankings and Saudi Arabia at No. 67.

How can I watch the games?

Fox Sports owns the exclusive broadcast rights in the United States, with games to be shown live on Fox (chs. 45, 5) and Fox Sports 1, as well as online at foxsports.com. For Spanish telecasts, check out Telemundo and NBC Universo.

For those interested in online streaming, FUBO, YouTubeTV and Hulu are among several providers to choose from.

Why isn’t the United States playing?

The Americans went 3-3-4 in the CONCACAF and finished second-to-last (between Honduras and Trinidad & Tobago), failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 32 years and robbing 19-year-old phenom Christian Pulisic of a chance to play on the international stage.

Who else didn’t make it?

Four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for the first time in 60 years, while the Netherlands will miss its first World Cup since 2002. Chile also didn’t make it despite playing Germany in the Confederations Cup final in 2017.

As the world gets ready for the 2018 World Cup, take a look at the stadiums where the players will take the field.

Who’s the favorite?

According to VegasInsider, Brazil is the top choice among oddsmakers at 4-1, followed by Germany (5-1), Spain (6-1), France (13-2), Argentina (9-1), Belgium (11-1), England (16-1), Portugal (25-1) and Uruguay (25-1). Panama, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia are tied for the longest odds at 750-1.

The basics

The 32 qualifying teams have been divided into eight groups of four, and the tournament features 64 games across four weeks. Each team plays the others in the group and the two teams with the most points advance to the Round of 16. Three points are awarded for a victory, one for a tie and none for a loss. When there is a points tie, the first tiebreaker is goal difference (goals-for minus goals-against) in group matches. It gets a little more complicated after that.

Once the Round of 16 is determined, the tournament enters its “knockout” stage, with the winner moving on in the bracket. Round of 16 matchups are determined as follows: Winner of Group A faces runner-up in Group B, winner of Group C faces runner-up in Group D, and so on down the line. Here’s a look at the bracket for a visual representation.

From the Round of 16 on, two extra periods of 15 minutes are played if a match ends tied in regulation. If still tied, a penalty kick shootout is used to determine the winner.

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Groups, plus odds to advance

Teams listed in order of most likely to least likely to advance to Round of 16

Group A

» Uruguay (EVEN), Russia (+125), Egypt (+550), Saudi Arabia (+3300)

Group B

» Spain (-200), Portugal (+185), Morocco (+1600), Iran (+2500)

Group C

» France (-350), Denmark (+450), Peru (+900), Australia (+1800)

Group D

Argentina (-180), Croatia (+225), Nigeria (+1000), Iceland (+1200)

Group E

Brazil (-400), Switzerland (+600), Serbia (+800), Costa Rica (+1800)

Group F

Germany (-310), Mexico (+500), Sweden (+600), South Korea (+2000)

Group G

Belgium (-125), England (+120), Tunisia (+1600), Panama (+2500)

Group H

Colombia (+120), Poland (+175), Senegal (+500), Japan (+700)

Soccer's biggest spectacle, the quadrennial men's World Cup, kicks off June 14 in Russia. As part of our lead-up including the full tournament schedule, group previews and more, here is a look at the players you need to watch — some familiar to even the most casual fan, some potential breakout stars. — Steven Goff, The Washington Post